I had the delightful serendipity of rounding out the last hours of January 1 by filling out the last pages of my old journal. I have a stash of blank journals, so I spent some time last night carefully selecting the book I’d use in the coming year. Did I want a leather cover? Did I want a simple composition book? Did I want lined or unlined pages? Did I want tablet sized pages or full 8 1/2 by 11 pages? There were so many choices. After a bit of fondling through my options, I chose a full-sized, unlined book. Specifically, I chose this book:

It felt whimsical. I felt whimsical.

I’ve been writing in an old school composition style notebook – one small enough that I could carry it up the mountain in Africa. I started on page one on my first flight out of Austin late in 2013, and, on my climb and the safari that followed, I filled up nearly half of its pages. When I got home from Africa, I returned to my regular-sized journal until I finished its pages. Then I picked up the composition notebook from Africa again and started writing where I’d left off until I filled all its pages just yesterday. Now I’m starting fresh again.

There’s little I enjoy more than cracking open a new journal. I love penning the date at the top of the page and claiming the otherwise blank pages as my own. This is where I started writing today.

I’ll likely be in this journal for the better part of this year. I don’t know what events will fill its pages, but I’m excited about the possibilities. I’m excited about the clean slate this new year brings, and I’m eager to get on with living the life I have now. I have goals and visions for the year. The details of those plans are still being ironed out. What’s different this time around is that I’m not in a hurry to get anywhere. I’m not in a hurry to move on or get passed some negative that was haunting my mind. I’m not getting through my days on the promise of a planned trip or adventure. I’m just enjoying each day before me.

I like where I am right now. I like where my head is and where my heart is. I like the people who grace my world. I like the work I’m doing. I like the training that I’m returning to with full force. I love the space I call home.

All that is to come – all that fills these pages – may not be easy or even good, but I’m of a mind to enjoy the experience of my life – to cherish it, to spend my time wisely, to appreciate the gifts, and embrace the challenges, whatever they might be.

So on to 2015. I’m ready. Let’s see what the new year brings.